A Violet Dress
by fallenstar2013
Summary: A complete lack of planning forces Raven to do her homework in a Valentine's Day Ball in Gotham and a gorgeous dress that Nightwing got for her. While the handsome acrobat is tutoring her, trouble arises! Will the couple do their best and save the day together? Or will Raven's crush on Nightwing distract her and make Grayson do all the work? Nightwing and Raven (c) DC Comics
1. Chapter 1

It wasn't odd to find Dick Grayson standing in his boxers in his room. As a matter of fact, it wasn't rare to find him walking around Wayne Manor wearing nothing but underwear and/or the occasional shirt or robe. Today, however, he was standing in front of his closet, deciding whether to wear black or grey jeans. He opted for the former and was in the middle of zipping up when Bruce Wayne entered the room.

"Aren't you supposed to be putting something a little more formal?" said the billionaire to his ward.

"Not to where I'm going, I'm not," answered the young man casually while picking up his favorite tank top and putting it on.

"We are going to a ball, Dick." Bruce crossed his arms, and the young acrobat turned around to see his mentor was serious; then again, when wasn't he? "Tell me you haven't forgotten about the Gotham Valentine's Ball?"

" _We're_ not going to that; only _you_ are," replied Grayson with a raised eyebrow. "I'm gonna go to the Tower to help Raven with her physics homework."

"Dick, I told you weeks ago about this party; _weeks_ ago."

"I thought you were just casually mentioning it to me. Can't you take Timmy or Damian?" The acrobat was putting on his black sneakers while he said this, and looked up at Bruce.

"Tim is in Bosnia; he won't be able to get here before 6 even if I asked him to come now," answered Wayne. "And Damian has an exam tomorrow; Alfred's staying here to help him study."

At that moment, Damian's small frame passed behind his father's. "I can't believe I have to learn a stupid sport and its rules. Why the hell would I be interested in volleyball?" muttered the boy.

"Physical education is also about teamwork, Master Damian," called Alfred from downstairs. "You would do well to learn it outside of the field."

"Look, Bruce," said Dick while picking up his grey leather jacket, "I'd love to go with you to the ball and whatever, but I promised Raven I'd help her; she's had a rough time with that class, and I opened up a spot in my schedule for her."

Bruce closed his eyes, thinking deeply for a moment. "Take her, then."

Dick stopped looking at himself in the mirror and turned to Bruce. "Excuse me?"

"If you can find her a dress before 5:30 so we can arrive at the ball at 6, you'll be able to both come to the ball and help Raven with her homework."

Grayson paused for a moment, and then looked at his clock. It was 4:12, but even the fastest way to Titans' Tower would take at least 15 minutes from Gotham City. Saying nothing else, he ran past Bruce and downstairs to the Batcave.

* * *

Raven enjoyed the few days she had the Tower all to herself. She'd be able to wear whatever she wanted and have nobody (much less some pestering green-skinned boy) judge or question her outfit choices. Then again, a hoodie and short shorts didn't exactly scream style, even in Raven's opinion; she still felt comfortable in that outfit, however, and that was what mattered at the moment. She was sitting in the couch that Nightwing or any other present Robin usually took whenever they'd prepare a mission plan, and she was rereading her physics notes, trying to understand how to find the speed of an object before impact by applying the speed and time of sound from the object's impact and the distance from 0 to the impact, or something like that. Physics gave the purple-haired girl a headache, but that was why she'd asked for a certain attractive acrobat's help (she'd kill two birds with one stone with the learning and staring at Grayson). Suddenly, her communicator began to vibrate and play a certain song that reminded her of Dick. She immediately picked it up.

"Y-yes?" she said, her cheeks tinting pink.

"Sorry to call you at such a short notice, Rae, but there's been a change of plans…" replied Grayson.

"Oh, don't tell me you have to cancel?" said the girl, fearing the worst.

"Well, no," said the acrobat, who was flying the Batwing as fast as he could to the Tower, "but I recommend you change; we're going shopping."

Raven groaned. She despised shopping as much as she despised having Beast Boy and Blue Beetle's crazy antics around her. "Do we have to…?"

"I'm sorry, Raven, but it's the only way I can help you study; we have to go to a ball—"

"Say what?" Raven's brow furrowed. Grayson had managed to hit one of the very few things that topped shopping in the list of things she hated.

"A ball, Rae; like the ones you have to dress all fancy and dance and have nice manners—"

"Why would you take me to a ball when I have _studying_ and _homework_ to do?" asked the girl, trying to keep her cool.

"Because I kinda forgot I promised Bruce—look, I'm already here in the hangar; can you please get over here?"

Raven rolled her eyes, sighing, and hung up the communicator before opening a portal into the Batwing.

"You could've told me to appear at your door, Grayson," she muttered while sitting next to her visitor.

Grayson slammed his palm against his forehead. "Yeah, I should've thought of that too; seems I get all dumb when I'm with you, huh?"

"Don't raise my hopes," muttered the girl sourly but honestly. She knew she didn't stand a chance with Grayson, even though she wanted him with all her will.

The blue-eyed young man looked at his friend, remaining quiet. He scratched the back of his head, as he did whenever he felt uncomfortable, and asked Raven "Do you have your notebook?"

"Yes I do," replied she. "Want me to take us to Gotham?"

"It would save us time," said the acrobat. "We'd find you a dress much faster that way, too."

"Ugh, don't talk to me about dresses…"

"Sorry, but you're gonna need to wear a dress to where we're going…"

Twenty minutes later, Dick and Raven were standing in a store, the former looking at the latter getting her measures taken. Raven wasn't comfortable with the lady at the store wrapping a measuring tape around her waist, but she knew it was necessary for what they were doing. Once the lady was done measuring her, the half-demon returned to Grayson's side.

"I really hate doing this, Grayson," complained Raven. "Are you sure we don't have any other choice other than going to the ball?"

"Sorry, Raven," muttered Grayson with a shrug. "But I promise that we'll grab a corner and do the homework and studying there."

Raven rolled her eyes. She hated any form of formal social gathering, but this seemed the only way she'd get Grayson to spend time with her and study… plus she'd get to see Dick in a good suit other than his Nightwing outfit. _'I guess I'll have to suck it up for now…'_ thought the purple-haired girl with a sigh and pink cheeks.

It was 5:09 when Dick said he had to go to the bathroom and left Raven alone in the store with a pile of black or blue dresses in her arms. The half-demon girl sighed in both frustration and worry.

"I knew we wouldn't find a dress," she said to herself. "Now I'll have to spend the night in the Tower and still be stuck on friggin' physics. Not to mention the views I'll miss…" An image of Nightwing in a suit popped into her head; she hadn't really seen Grayson wearing that kind of thing in person, but she imagined it'd be an amazing sight nonetheless, given what Zatanna and Starfire had mentioned once or twice in her presence. Her heart started once again to thump faster in anticipation of later tonight, and Raven steeled herself. "I'm gonna find a dress if it's the last thing I do," she told herself before starting once again to search around her store. She turned around the corner and bumped against someone's back. "Oh," she said in her monotone. "Excuse me."

"Oh, there you are, Rae!" said Grayson, turning around and smiling at her. "Guess what I found you!" He turned around and showed her a beautiful violet off-shoulder dress with a multilayered skirt, and long, soft-looking sleeves. Raven's jaw dropped.

"Wha—is that f-for me…?" Raven was finding it hard to breathe in front of that gorgeous man… and the dress, of course. Its skirt was ruffled throughout all its layers, but the pattern the ruffles made gave the impression that the dress would just glide over the floor. Needless to say, Raven adored that dress (and the guy holding it, too). "G-Grayson, you moron…"

"I saw it and it reminded me of you," explained Dick with a sheepish grin. "It does scream 'Raven,' don't you think?"

Raven's cheeks flushed. The fact that Dick Grayson saw such a stunning dress and immediately thought of her was too much for her to handle. As it usually happened when she didn't fully control her emotions, the lights started to flicker, and something fell over with a loud racket. Raven couldn't hear anything, though; her heart was thumping too loudly in her ears while Grayson's blue eyes pierced through her. Why was he so damn handsome? And why was he approaching her?

 _'Wait, I'm not ready for this,'_ thought Raven, feeling like she was starting to panic as her companion, who towered over her, bent over to her level. _'This is too soon, Grayson; I mean, I do like you, but—'_

"Rae, calm down," whispered Nightwing, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her lightly. "I know the dress is gorgeous, but you need to control yourself."

"Uh, r-right," said Raven, managing to regain command over her powers and making everything settle down. "Let's just buy the stupid dress so we can study, alright? That damn class is more important to me than this dumb ball, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, baby," said Grayson coolly, and Raven felt like she'd melt on the spot.

* * *

 **hey everyone~! sorry we haven't posted in a while ^^; college is terrible and I have like two exams tomorrow but Klaus has 3 and he's having a mental breakdown rn :P anyways, he wanted to continue with Kishin May Cry (if you haven't read it yet, be sure to give it a look~ if you have, Chapter 21 is coming soon~!) but since he has to study he can't finish it yet so I took my chance and wrote this little piece of fluff~~ 3 I wanted to publish it as a one-shot for Valentine's Day but I kinda couldn't finish it on time cause I have to study too ;3; but hey, at least you get to read it now and it's gonna be a mini-series~! :D (tbh I hope we don't pass 5 chapters cause KmC has 20-21 and it's still not done xP )**

 **but yeah, Raven's going with Nightwing to a ball~ cuteness will ensue~! be ready for the next chapter~ (I hope I can write it for next week; I'll probs write it on Monday since it's Klaus and my b-day and we won't be bothered by anyone that day XDDD) leave your thoughts and opinions here as usual~!**

 _ **~Humbert**_


	2. Chapter 2

"We're running late, Dick," said Bruce for the third time in the last fifteen minutes. His oldest ward had managed to find a dress for the girl whom he was going to help with her homework, but once the pair returned to the manor, they seemed to be taking their sweet time to get dressed. If Bruce didn't know Dick better, he'd have assumed they were getting steamy in the acrobat's room. Then again, Raven was dressing up in the visitors' room.

Finally, about two minutes later, Dick came out of his room, though he was still adjusting his cobalt tie.

"I regret ever trying the damn Trinity knot…" muttered the young man, stopping in front of Bruce. He was wearing a silver-colored suit with black lapels, a black shirt underneath it, silver pants, and black shoes. "Am I straight?"

Bruce's hands immediately went to Dick's shoulders, patting them softly and saying, "You did well with that tie. I hope your date is ready too." Dick smirked.

"I'm sure she's staring at herself," said the acrobat. "I did get a good dress for her, after all."

"Well, I hope she hurries up."

About thirty seconds later, Raven emerged, wearing the violet dress and with her hair tied back. Grayson and Wayne both admired her looks; Dick then looked at his mentor and gave him a thumbs-up. Bruce shrugged and motioned both of them to follow him.

"You look gorgeous," said Dick once he and Raven started walking. "I knew that dress would fit you perfectly."

"I'm only wearing this so you can help me with the homework, Grayson," replied the half-demon, blushing deeply, "so don't get ahead of yourself." After a moment or two, she added lowly, "…you look good too, though."

Once the pair, along with Bruce, Damian, and Alfred, entered the limo they were going to take for the ball, Damian spoke up.

"So how much is Grayson paying you to accompany him to the ball, Roth?" asked the boy. Bruce and Dick looked at him with furrowed brows.

"Just my physics homework, surprisingly," replied the girl with a shrug. "He's a lot cheaper than we thought."

"Hey…" piped up Grayson, seemingly sensing the pair's obvious intention to tease him.

"Not even all of your homework? That's rather disappointing," said Damian, smirking towards his "older brother". "I thought you were good at this, Grayson," added he, crossing his arms.

"I gave her a 'good friend discount,' Damian," replied Dick, rolling his eyes. "If I were to take you to the ball, I'd have to give you the 'annoyance tax.'"

"That's enough, boys," said Bruce, looking up from his newspaper. "I hope, Damian, that you behave while Alfred's tutoring you; if any emergency arises, I'll handle it. Are you clear?"

"Yes, father," answered the young Wayne, looking down.

"Good." Bruce glanced at his paper and turned back to his biological son. "I hear the Puerto Rican volleyball team is facing Brazil later tonight," he said. "We could watch the game so you can review the rules and apply them in practice."

"Yes, father," said Damian, looking out the window.

Raven looked at Damian and sensed his lack of interest towards the sport. She understood how the boy felt, having no interest in anything related to sports or any heavy physical activity besides crime-fighting. She looked back at Grayson, who was also looking out the window, though smirking.

"What's on your mind, Raven?" he asked, looking at her pale face's reflection in the window.

"I hope you're mentally reviewing your physics notes," said she, turning pink and looking away from him. "I'll need you to explain this stuff to me again…"

"How can you not understand physics, Roth?" said Damian, curious. "I thought you'd have to apply all that for crime-fighting?"

"Well, when you can do magic, all that stuff becomes less relevant (but not irrelevant)," replied the purple-haired girl. "Gravity, mass, sound, and all that jazz can be easily manipulated through magic."

"Hm, Zatanna said the exact same thing a few years ago," commented Nightwing, not looking away from the window. "Did she tell you that herself?"

"It's a common phrase, Grayson," replied Raven, rolling her eyes.

"Lady and gentlemen," called Alfred from the driver's seat, "if you please. We've arrived at the Valentine's Ball. Do be sure to enjoy the night."

"Thanks, Alfred," said Bruce and Dick in unison, and Raven said the same a moment later.

"Master Bruce," added the butler while Dick helped Raven out of the limo, "I still believe it would've been sensible of you to bring your own date to the ball."

"Sorry, Alfred," replied Bruce, "but I forgot to call one in time. Now, be sure Damian knows the rules so I can quiz him tonight."

"Will do. Master Damian, please bid your farewells for now," said Alfred.

"See you later, father," said the boy, crossing his arms. "Grayson, Raven, enjoy the night."

"That's surprisingly nice of you, Damian," replied Dick, smirking and raising an eyebrow. "What're you plotting?"

"Even if I was plotting anything, I wouldn't tell you," snapped Robin before grabbing the door's handle. "Have a good evening, you three." With that said, he closed the limo's door, and the vehicle left Bruce, Dick, and Raven standing in front of Gotham's City Hall.

Bruce turned to Dick and Raven, and said, "We'll enter together, wave at the cameras for a moment, say hello to some of the reporters, and then you two will do your business while I do mine."

"The usual, then," commented the acrobat while rolling his eyes. "Oh, here they come."

Raven quickly shied away behind Dick, who at the same time raised his arm in front of her, as if to protect her from the cameras and inquisitive looks from the reporters.

"How can you live with this, Grayson?" she asked lowly while Dick wrapped his arm around her waist gently and helped her walk through the crowd in the entrance.

"I usually don't," answered the acrobat, waving at a few people he probably recognized from somewhere, "but it's not hard to wave and smile."

"Sure it's not," muttered the purple-haired girl, looking at her date. His black hair was messy, as usual, and his blue eyes almost glowed under the lights of the City Hall and the camera flashes. "Can we get to a table already? I need to do my homework…"

"Sure thing, Rae." Once the pair separated from Bruce, Dick walked Raven to a nearby table and pulled out a chair so the half-demon could sit. He then sat opposite her and eyed her while she pulled out her notebook and pencil. "What're you stuck in?"

At that moment, a woman's voice called out to the pair.

"Oh, Richard! How nice to see you after so long!" A ginger-haired woman walked toward the couple's table, waving at the grey-clad young man.

"Oh, hi, Miss Vale," greeted Nightwing politely. "It's been a while."

"Who's your date? She's gorgeous!" said the woman, smiling at Raven, who had a serious face while the woman put her hands on Grayson's fancy suit.

"This is Rachel Roth," introduced the young man. "Rae, this is Vicki Vale. You should recognize her—"

"The reporter?" asked Raven, who had opened her notebook to find the page she was last working in. She turned to Vicki, who was genuinely smiling at her, and said, "I've seen your work. You risk your life to keep the people of Gotham informed. It's reckless, but nonetheless valuable."

"I'm flattered!" said the ginger with a smile. "Young Richard here does have a fine taste in women: he likes them intelligent and strong!"

Grayson scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. "Well, I don't like to toot my own horn…"

Raven blushed. _'I'm pretty sure he wasn't thinking when he said he likes me…'_ she thought to herself. _'He'll just help me with my homework and go get someone else or something… I don't need him to like me, anyways…'_ Grayson chatted with Vicki for a few moments, leaving Raven with the buzz of her thoughts about him, before he sat next to her again.

"So," he said with a smile, "where were we?"

"Homework, Grayson," replied Raven. Her mind was chanting the word "bedroom," however.

* * *

 **Sorry we took so long for this one; the week was busier than we expected. Also, I'm well aware that I'm running VERY late for KmC Chapter 21. I'm working on it, OK?**

 _ **-Klaus**_

 **we kinda goofed up while working on this one... ^^; we were more than halfway done with this chapter by Wednesday but we didn't finish XP ummm so yeah, I can 't believe it got so many favorites so quickly XD but hey, thanks to all of you~! (reviews would be nice, tho) will Dick and Raven finally get to do that homework? will Klaus and I get to do ours? will Klaus SERIOUSLY DO THE DISHES?! BRO YOU DRANK LIKE 5 DIFFERENT GLASSES OF JUICE**

 _ **~Humbert**_


	3. Chapter 3

"And so the answer here is… 35 meters per second?" asked Raven while writing down the calculations in her notebook.

"Precisely, Rae!" said Nightwing in a praising tone. "You got the hang of this quickly!"

"T-thanks… U-umm…" The purple-haired girl started stuttering again; it was the sixth time in the last hour or so. She couldn't help it, though. Grayson was too attractive and charming, and her heart throbbed whenever he praised her. If only she wasn't wearing that stupid violet dress, she could hide her face under her hood. Curse Grayson and his amazing fashion sense; she had stared at herself in the mirror back at Wayne Manor and knew that she looked amazing. In fact, she didn't know she could look so damn good. Maybe Dick did have a superpower related to looks. What could he choose for her next? Would he take her out again? Suddenly, Raven's mind started to flood with situations involving Dick that she knew would never happen. She was so deep in her own little world that she didn't hear Grayson calling out to her until she felt his hand on her shoulder.

"Raven?"

"Ah! I-I mean, yeah, whaddaya want?" Raven quickly regained control of herself and reverted to her moody persona in an instant.

"I was asking if you… wanted to… dance," said the acrobat with a shy smile. God, why was he so hot? Suddenly, Raven remembered something very important.

"B-but… I don't dance…" Her face, though red, was sad. She really wanted to accept the offer, though.

"That's okay, Rae." Dick slowly approached her and whispered in her ear, "Just keep the music's rhythm; levitate just a bit so the dress is still on the floor and nobody will suspect a thing. I won't get fancy at all."

Raven's cheeks flushed. He even selected the dress long enough for her to levitate? Maybe she should add clairvoyance to the list of possible powers Dick didn't but should have. She nodded slowly, and grabbed the acrobat's hand while discreetly making her notebook and pencil disappear with her magic. Raven's feet gently left the floor while she started to grow accustomed to the height at which she would perform her little act with the acrobat. She could feel many eyes on her and Grayson, and felt a thought hover over her: "How the hell does this plain girl think she can date the perfect Dick Grayson?" She started to feel very self-conscious, but Nightwing turned to her and placed his free hand on her waist.

"It's gonna be okay, Rae," reassured the acrobat, looking at her in the eye. "I just need to keep an eye out for Bruce; I haven't seen him around in a while."

"You do know I can just project my aura around to find him?" muttered the girl, looking around.

"Yes, but that usually makes your eyes go red and glowy," replied the young man with a tilt of his head. After a second or two of thought, Raven nodded in agreement.

The couple started to dance, or rather, Grayson was dancing while Raven levitated in front of him, admiring him yet again. Dick seemed to be having fun even though his eyes were reading his surroundings, and Raven decided to study the ambient (or, more precisely, the young man in front of her) as well. The golden aura that emanated around the room thanks to the lights, decorations and ornaments made his dark hair appear brown and his tan skin adopt a honey hue. His blue eyes remained the same shade, however; two cobalt circles were whizzing across the sockets, scrutinizing the area quickly. Dick moved closer to Raven, pressing his chest against her face, and the purple-haired girl blushed madly while smelling his soft, yet spicy, cologne.

"Miss Vale's staring at you, Rae," whispered the acrobat while looking at the reporter. The half-demon girl followed his gaze while the pair turned together, and saw that what Grayson said was right: the woman was looking at her with genuine interest and a smile, and a cup of wine in her hand. Grayson explained, "While you were getting your stuff, she'd asked me about your dress and makeup…"

"But I don't wear makeup," replied Raven, looking at her partner with a raised eyebrow.

"I know; I told her the same thing." Grayson then chuckled lowly. "She then said that you're really gorgeous…"

 _'At least somebody thinks so…'_ thought Raven to herself sourly.

"…and I told her to tell me something I didn't know," finished the young man with a smirk and half a laugh. Raven, still levitating, kicked Grayson in the shin and looked away from him. "Ow, what was that for?" asked Dick, still dancing but seemingly hurt from her action.

"Stop being a moron and do what you're supposed to, Grayson," snapped the girl, whose heart was beating a billion times per second and her face felt like boiling. Grayson stopped dancing, and Raven almost crashed into him. "The hell is it now?"

"The piece stopped, smartass," said Dick while letting go of her. "Whaddaya say we get some fresh air?"

"Why would we do that?"

"Because my phone is ringing and I know that's Bruce," answered the acrobat, who was now walking away from Raven while pulling out his cell from his pocket. Raven landed on the floor, grabbed her dress skirt, and quickly trotted after him.

"Yes, I hear it now," Dick was saying as the couple entered the City Hall's balcony. Raven supposed her teammate was referring to the low pops of something that was unmistakably explosions. Of what, though, Raven didn't know. "I'll find out. Where are you, though? …ah, then, uh…. Ha-have fun, Bruce." Dick hung up the phone with an awkward expression.

"What happened?" asked Raven, who hadn't averted her eyes from Dick's well-dressed ass.

"Bruce is with Miss Kyle…" said Dick with a slight grimace. "I hope he wears hats for the party—"

"Not that, dummy," Raven rolled her eyes with the reply. Obviously, Selina Kyle would find her way into any socialite gathering to get richer; if she found Mister Wayne, who knew how the night would end for both? "I mean, what're you supposed to find out?" she asked, noticing that Grayson was looking around quickly. He stopped to stare at a building and hummed softly while placing a hand on his mouth. "What?" Raven asked again, now a bit more irked than curious.

"Time for physics practice," said Grayson, still staring at the building.

"Oh, no…" said Raven. She was of two minds on the matter, however. Any chance she could get of tutoring and praise by the hottest man alive was a treat she would enjoy to the max. However, physics practice wasn't her idea of having a good time with Grayson; she was hoping for something more along the lines of "dancing," him holding her, eyelids closing while pairs of lips drew nearer…

"Raven!"

"Damn it Grayson, I'm fantasiz—listening, all right?" said Raven, pulling herself out of her reverie.

"Then how many pops have you heard?" asked Grayson, not turning to face her.

"Um…" Raven started to pay attention again. She started noticing the pops Grayson had mentioned after a few seconds, and then noticed they came in pairs, though not exactly from the same direction. "They're coming in pairs… I'm hearing them from different places, though."

"See the huge building next to us?" said the young man in the gray suit, motioning to the office building just a few blocks away.

"Oh, so the second of all pairs of pops is an echo?" said the girl in the violet dress, quickly catching on. She then followed his gaze to that one building in particular and noticed what he probably noticed too. "Are those fireworks?"

"Not sure," replied he, "but whatever it is, it must be the source of the sounds."

"So where does the physics apply here?" asked she.

"We're gonna figure out where the sounds and the lights are coming from. Without using any powers, that is."

"Do it your way? Seems fair."

"Then let's begin. What's the speed of sound?"

"340 meters per second."

"Given the distance between City Hall, our location, and the building from where the echoes bounce to us, is about 280 meters, how far away are the explosions from the building?"

Raven took a few seconds to calculate in her head, thinking of the variables and the time between the first and second pops in each pair. Finally, she declared the answer she thought would fit best: "About 850 meters?"

"Really? I was thinking 930," replied Grayson, looking back at her with a smirk. "Considering the time between the flashes on the reflection of the fireworks on the building's windows comes under three seconds before the first pop, and that building is about 600 meters away from here," he pointed at the tower where he and the purple-haired girl had noticed the fireworks' reflections, "I thought it'd be about 870 to 900 meters."

"Oh, then sorry…" said Raven, looking down.

"You may be right, though," said Grayson, walking closer to her. "Remember that reflections bounce off light in the same angle as it arrives, so given our angle to the tower…" He pulled out a china marker from his jacket pocket and started to draw on a table that was next to them, and Raven noticed he was drawing a diagram of the whole situation that was going on, plus both their calculations. "It should be coming from…"

"ACE Chemicals, which is 885 meters away from here," finished Raven, looking back at the young man. "I'm guessing that's someplace where fireworks aren't supposed to be happening?"

"Precisely." Grayson put away his marker and grabbed Raven's hand, pulling her back into City Hall.

"W-wait, where're we going?" asked the girl, thinking her teammate's action was more of celebration and maybe lust than anything else.

"We need to suit up; I've a feeling something bad's gonna happen," replied Nightwing, opening a secret door once the couple reached the lowest accessible floor in the City Hall.

"Why can't we just suit down and play Twister or something kinky…?" muttered Raven under her breath.

* * *

 **sorry we took sooooooooo long to update ;-; we hoped spring break would be fun, but we've had work work work work! D: at least I managed to finish this chapter :3**

 **also, me and Klaus just watched Batman v Superman! jfc it was awesome! :DDDD I won't spoil anything, but don't believe the reviews! it's truly worth it! x3**

 **so whaddaya think will happen next~? please leave reviews with comments and wishes~ ;D**

 **~ _Humbert_**


	4. Chapter 4

Raven noticed that the crowd of attendees was huddled in front of a television, probably watching some event that was taking place at that moment. She stopped to listen, and Nightwing stopped too.

"Police Commissioner Gordon has urged the public not to enter the three-block perimeter," said the male news reporter. "The effects of the toxin, as many know, is lethal. This is Jack Ryder for Gotham News."

The crowd was buzzing with worried chat about the events that were taking place at ACE Chemicals, but Raven and Nightwing had to continue to do their job. The black-haired young man told the purple-haired girl to keep a lookout while he entered a secret code into a panel that would open a door. The couple then sneakily entered a room that had the equipment Nightwing would require for the operation. He started to strip in front of Raven.

"Don't look," he called teasingly while he took off his suit jacket and started to undo his necktie. Raven's face flushed and she covered her eyes with her hands, though she was peeking through the gaps between her fingers.

"It's hard not to, Grayson," she replied shyly. Grayson had taken off his black shirt and was wearing a white undershirt that seemed to fit tightly. Raven took in the delicious sight of the young man starting to take off his pants.

"Shouldn't you be changing as well?" asked the vigilante, turning his face to look at her. Raven noted that his boxers were black and tight around his ass.

"At least I can do that in a flash," replied the half-demon, glad to have an excuse to take her hands off her eyes. She extended her arms, magically summoning her superhero outfit. She grabbed her purple hood and covered her head with it. "And they say girls take too long to dress up…"

"Funny," Dick shot back while putting the lower half of his outfit first. "I wasn't the one staring at herself for fifteen minutes back in the manor."

"Shut up, Grayson!" Raven's face got redder and she turned around, pouting. Nightwing chuckled and continued dressing up.

"Kiss for good luck?" she thought he asked in a flirty tone. "It is Valentine's Day, after all."

"Excuse me?" Raven turned back to the young man, who was putting on his top over his bare, well-endowed torso, and blushed at the sight. "What did you say, Grayson?"

"I said, pass me the grapple gun to your left," said Nightwing, rolling his eyes while he wrapped his utility belt around his waist. "Jeez, Rae, sometimes I wonder if you're actually listening to one."

"Well, sorry," said the purple-haired girl while handing him his means of travel. "I get distracted too, you know."

"Yeah, well, hold it in," replied the young man, grabbing the grapple gun. "Don't wanna cause a disaster because you're thinking about your Valentine. Anyways, shall we go to ACE?"

"Sure, Nightwing," answered the purple-clad girl. She opened a portal and the pair was now in front of the ACE Chemicals building, and the explosions were a lot louder here. "Huh," said the girl, "I guess the explosions did come from here. And they're fireworks, too."

"Yeah, but we can't have fireworks around a building full of potentially hazardous chemicals, half of which are flammable," replied Nightwing. He walked over to one of the cops that was closing off the area and asked, "Who's calling for attention?"

"It's Harley," said the cop, turning towards the teens. "She says she wants to do something for her 'Mistah J' because it's Valentine's Day… I guess you know that's not good."

"If she was planning something romantic, she should've taken him out on a date," said Raven lowly. "Does she have any hostages?"

"A few scientists," said the officer. "A skeleton crew, so it's no more than a dozen people."

"We'll find them, Officer North," reassured the acrobat. "Be back soon!"

With that said, both he and Raven entered the ACE Chemicals building. Raven had only entered the place once, but it still retained that mysterious feeling to it. Maybe it was because it's a building dedicated to science only, something Raven would have a hard time with, or because so many disasters occurred here, according to Nightwing, but the building gave her the creeps. Then again, maybe the flickering lights and heavy noise could be a factor in that, too. This was definitely not an ideal place for a date, Raven thought.

"Earth to Raven!" called Nightwing for the sixth time, a few steps ahead of her.

"What the hell is it?" asked Raven, annoyed.

"Firstly, chill," said the vigilante, turning to her with a raised eyebrow. "Secondly, I said that you should project your aura to find the hostages and Harley. Then you could rescue the hostages while I take care of her."

A pipe exploded a few meters behind Nightwing, and gas started to vent out of it just like Raven's sudden feeling of jealousy. Why did that criminal get more attention from him than she did? She realized that the thought that just crossed her mind was completely irrational and she shook her head. She noticed Nightwing had quickly gone to repair the pipe, and she decided to go help him.

"Anything I can do?" she asked.

"Well, if you could stop the methane from escaping while I work here, I'd appreciate it," answered Grayson, whose voice was muffled due to the gas mask he was wearing.

"On it," said the purple-clad girl, working her magic to assist. The pair quickly finished the job, and Grayson praised her with a soft pat on the head and a "Good job!" Raven blushed, but did her best to keep her powers under control.

"So… I'll find the hostages and Harley now, okay?" she said while adopting a meditating pose. "I won't take long, I promise."

"I'll wait as long as it takes," replied Nightwing with a reassuring grin. "Quick question before you go, though. Can I move your physical body if anything happens here?"

Raven mulled the question while she started to float on the floor. Obviously, Grayson wouldn't dare touch her while she was in this delicate state unless they were in a dire life-or-death situation… but Grayson wouldn't touch her in many other circumstances, anyway. She nodded and said, "Sure, but be gentle with me, you hear?" If Grayson hadn't chuckled and looked away with a smirk, she wouldn't have realized how perverted that sounded. "Quit dreaming and keep an eye out, will you?" said Raven loudly. Her face went red, but she controlled herself while her eyes glowed red for an instant before closing in deep meditation, freeing her astral persona from her physical body.

Raven was grateful that Nightwing couldn't see her astral projection, because she wouldn't be able to live what she did next down if he could. Even though he wouldn't be able to see or feel anything, Raven planted a kiss on his cheek. Grayson moved his head, obviously surveying his surroundings, and Raven whispered something in his ear that she hoped he'd return, knowing he couldn't and wouldn't hear, before going through the ceiling, beginning her search.

Using her empathic abilities, she could sense an accumulation of fear and anxiety about four floors above her, and she flew towards where she could feel it. There they were, about a dozen scientists tied together while a thug was aiming a machine gun at them. They weren't the only people in the room, though. Raven noticed three other men walking around the room, holding different melee weapons. She decided to search for the source of the explosions, hoping that Harley was there, practically begging to be stopped. She found the source of the explosions, fireworks, but they were all used and there was no sign of anyone nearby. Raven found the whole situation suspicious, and she quickly returned to her… what on earth was Nightwing doing to her face?

It looked like he had drawn on it with a marker, or something, and he was now taking selfies with her and making silly faces! Why the hell would Grayson, of all people, decide to be so immature all of a sudden? Why the hell would Grayson, of all people, write "BAE" and an arrow that pointed at his face on her forehead? Why the hell would Grayson, of all people, draw blush lines on her cheeks? Didn't he know he didn't need to do it because every time Raven saw him, she'd blush to no end? Raven entered her body while Grayson was taking another selfie with her unconscious body. At the moment the camera flashed, she opened her eyes. Grayson noticed what she did when he saw the picture he had just taken, and he yelped in surprise and leapt away from his companion.

"Ha-ha," said Raven, glaring at the acrobat, but feeling some endearment at his silly side. "Very funny, Nightwing."

"Uh," Grayson laughed nervously while scratching the back of his head. "D-don't worry, it's washable…"

"The hostages are on the fifth floor, and they're being watched by four thugs." Raven was cleaning her face with a wipe that Nightwing had just handed her while she explained the situation. "I couldn't find Harley, or anybody else, at the source of the fireworks. I've a feeling this might be a trap…"

"Well, that would certainly suck. I could handle all that by myself without breaking a sweat on a bad night," said Grayson, looking disappointed. "D'you think maybe someone set us up?"

"Well, Boy Blunder," said a squeaky, maniacal voice, "I'm pretty sure your smoldering cadaver might answer that!"

"Huh, and here I thought tonight wasn't gonna get any more fun!" said Nightwing while running with Raven away from the explosions on ACE Chemicals' lobby and into the elevator shaft, where Raven held the doors shut while Dick opened the elevator's ceiling and shot his grappling gun up the shaft. He held out a hand and called out to his date, "Shall we, Milady?"

"I swear, Nightwing, if you _ever_ call me that again, I'm gonna pop you," snapped the purple-clad girl, taking her date's hand with a loudly thumping heart. The pair started ascending through the shaft, and the half-demon called out to the acrobat, "The hostages are in the fifth floor, Nightwing! FIFTH!"

"I know; Harley's thugs never look up!" said Nightwing with a smirk while he awaited her by the door to the sixth floor. Raven rolled her eyes and flew over to him, opening her door with her magic.

"Fine, let's kick some ass," she said. "And I'm confiscating your phone when this is over."

"It's not like I was gonna post them on Facebook or anything, though…" muttered Grayson lowly but audibly.

'Well, it's not like I'm gonna save them in my phone and keep them forever, you dork,' thought Raven while the couple walked through the sixth floor, searching for the place where they would make their entrance. "Once we're done here, we're going after Harley, right?" asked the purple-haired girl.

"I'll tell Batman about this; we need to keep an image in the ball, remember?" answered Dick.

"Does that mean more dancing?" Raven hoped she didn't sound as hopeful as she really was.

"Not if you don't want to." Dick's reply almost sounded like an invitation to something else. Then again, Raven's head was in the clouds with thoughts of tango… and beds.

"Then let's wrap this up here," said the girl, phasing through the floor while her companion started traversing through some vents to reach the same destination.

* * *

 **well that didn't take too long, did it~? I'm glad so many of you are leaving reviews ;w; keep 'em coming pls~~**

 **anyways, Grayson was taking selfies with Raven's body? I'm pretty sure Raven didn't give him permission! D: at least we know he's a good guy, but dammit Dick at least wait till she's conscious! not cool at all! SO. NOT. COOL!**

 **but if she think's it's cute, what can we do about it...? u.u**

 **anyways, keep those reviews coming~! I wanna hear your opinions more :D whaddaya think will happen next? will Harley and her thugs beat Raven and Nightwing? is the trap gonna work? what is Harley's motivation? what the hell is Bruce doing while stuff is going down? find out in the next chapter~! :DDD**

 _ **~Humbert**_


	5. Chapter 5

The thug with the gun wasn't aware of the disappearance of his comrades until it was too late. His gun had started to heat up and disassemble in his hands. He turned around with wide eyes just before a heel met his jaw and knocked him out. Raven stood over the unconscious body while Nightwing helped the hostages to their feet and asked them if they were all right. The purple-clad girl looked around, making sure she hadn't missed any details or hostiles, and back at Nightwing, who was still comforting the scientists.

"Nightwing," she called, and the acrobat turned to her. She continued, "Remember that we have to deal with Harley. I can't sense her nearby, so we have to move quickly to find her again."

"Right you are, Raven," replied the raven-haired acrobat with a nod. He turned to the scientists and announced, "We'll take you to safety. Stay out of here for an hour or so before resuming your work. Don't worry; we'll handle the one who did this to you."

Raven quietly opened a portal that led to the outside of the ACE building, and the scientists expressed their gratitude while passing through it. Finally, Nightwing and Raven were left alone in the room. The girl looked at her companion.

"Well?" Raven extended her hand. "Phone?"

"We gotta chase Harley, Rae," Nightwing reminded the purple-haired girl, "and you wanna erase my pics? What the hell? Priorities!"

"I was doing my job and you were taking selfies with my sleeping body, Grayson."

"Touché," Grayson said, defeated. "I'm sorry I didn't ask for permission… It's just that you're so cute when you're asleep…"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," said the girl while her cheeks turned red and a shadow blasted through a nearby wall. Her hand was still extended. "Quit raising my hopes and gimme your phone already."

"We'll have to call Batman, though," said Nightwing, still not relinquishing his phone. "While you erase the pics, Harley will get away."

"You should've thought of that, you moron!" Raven was starting to lose her patience. Why wouldn't Dick want to give her his phone? The invasion of privacy was a fair deal for the breach of trust, so Dick had no right to complain. "Give. Me. Your. Phone."

Nightwing sighed and handed Raven his phone after unlocking it. It was the first time the girl would see through the acrobat's phone, and she wasn't sure what to expect. Was the acrobat a horny teenager, or did he have absolutely nothing in his phone that wasn't business? She was surprised to see herself in the wallpaper, and Dick started fidgeting where he was standing. What did he not want her to find? She opened his photo album and was surprised at the amount of pictures he'd taken with her, including the one where she'd finally opened her eyes. The first few he had taken without any graffiti on her face. Following, he had drawn the blush marks and took three photos in which he was softly kissing her cheek. Finally, there were the two photos of them that she had caught him taking. Besides those, there were many pictures of Raven, both in costume and without it. Raven couldn't feel anything other than the heat of embarrassment, and he couldn't hear Nightwing calling out to her until she was done sending the pictures to her phone and erasing them from Dick's.

"What the hell is it, Grayson?" she asked, once she noticed the acrobat's calling. "You gonna embarrass me further? Do you have a joke with West or Caldur that concerns me?"

"You've destroyed all of the walls in this room and you want me to answer?" said Grayson, who seemed to still be cowering from Raven's powers, which had gotten out of control.

"I expect you to answer because you're being a total douche with me!"

"What?! How the hell am I being a douche?!" Nightwing's eyes widened at her accusation.

"You pretend to like me and raise my hopes for a chance with you when we all know I'll never be your girlfriend!"

"Raven, have you been reading shitty novels again? Why the hell would you say that?"

"Because I like you a lot!"

"Well, great, cause I like you too!" Grayson rolled sideways to avoid a black tendril that lunged to attack him while he said this. Raven and her shadows suddenly stopped.

"Wait, what?" she asked, stunned.

"I said that I like you too, Raven!" said Nightwing. "Can we talk about this later? We need to catch Harley!"

"No! You've been stalling too much, Nightwing!" said Raven, her shadow starting to move menacingly. "Since when have you liked me?"

"A few months now, but we need to move!" Nightwing approached her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Lives might be in danger!"

Raven took a few deep breaths, calming herself and her powers down. She looked back up at Grayson and nodded slowly before opening a portal back to City Hall.

"Call Batman and tell him to handle this. We need to talk," said the purple-clad girl lowly. Nightwing nodded and walked with her to the portal and back to the secret room where Grayson had obtained his equipment and left his clothes neatly folded.

The acrobat grabbed his phone from Raven's hands and called Bruce. He quickly told his mentor a summary of the situation Harley had caused and what was left to do. The acrobat hung up and looked at Raven.

"It's done," he said. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Firstly, we need to return to the ball," said Raven austerely. She used her magic once again to change into the violet dress that Nightwing had bought her, and blushed. Nightwing nodded and quickly discarded his costume and dressed up for the ball again.

Once the couple left the secret room, they started to talk in the hallway.

"Seriously, Rae," said Dick with a slightly disappointed tone, "just because I like to help people doesn't mean I'm raising their hopes."

"I know…" replied the girl, looking down.

"I did, however, wanna spend Valentine's with you," added the young man, looking at the girl. "You're a good girl…"

"I'm not smart enough, though," said Raven, looking up at the acrobat.

"You are! But not everyone can be good at physics," chuckled Grayson, giving her that sweet smile that enamored her. "You're also generous and kind, even though you often don't show it. I can't have a smart bitch, you know."

"And by bitch you mean…?"

"Not a nice person," said Dick. "The attitude doesn't matter, though. You look cute with that snarky face of yours—hell, you always look cute…"

"You're a dork, Grayson," muttered Raven, looking away.

"Maybe," said the acrobat with a shrug, "but I kinda wanna be your dork…"

"Stop being so cheesy! It's annoying!" Raven shook her arms in annoyance, but her red cheeks showed otherwise.

"Can't help it," replied Dick with that damn smile again. "But what's your answer?"

"Depends on whether you're still gonna be an idiot even if we start dating." Raven crossed her arms and turned away.

"If you want idiots, you should talk to Jason," joked Grayson. "I prefer being a dork any day."

"You're being an idiot now, dammit!" Raven rushed at Dick and hugged him tightly. Grayson laughed and hugged her back, planting a kiss on her head because of their height difference.

The couple let go of each other and started walking back to the hall. Everyone hadn't taken their eyes off the television in the time they were doing their job, but this time the news had changed.

"Thanks to help from the Batman," said the reporter, "Police Commissioner Gordon could finally apprehend the criminal known as Harley Quinn. Her 'boyfriend' the Joker couldn't escape Arkham as Harley had planned, fortunately, so we needn't worry about him…"

"Glad to know it all ended well," said Dick, joining the crowd. "Whaddaya say we dance for a bit, Rachel?"

The purple-haired girl rolled her eyes. "You haven't finished helping with my physics homework, Grayson."

"Really?" Grayson looked confused. "I'm pretty sure we managed to finis—"

Raven pulled on Dick's tie, forcing him to bend over, and pecked a kiss on his lips. Grayson was surprised, though pleased, and he returned the kiss quickly. "Okay, that's my kinda finish," added the acrobat with a smirk.

"Don't get used to it," said Raven, looking away. "About that dance…"

* * *

Two weeks later, Rachel Roth was returning to Titans Tower, exhausted from school. Starfire and Zatanna greeted the half-demon once she entered the living room, and asked how her day went.

"I hope I aced that goddamn exam," groaned the half-demon girl, dropping her backpack next to her while she slumped into a couch next to Starfire. "If I don't, I'm gonna kill Nightwing."

"Didn't you and Dick spend the last few days studying for that exam, though?" asked Zatanna curiously. "Dick's pretty good at that stuff…"

While Raven's mind suddenly filled with memories of the dates the acrobat and she had gone on (admittedly by her request) instead of "studying," the purple-haired girl nodded and said, "Yeah, but it's kinda hard for me to understand…" She added in her mind, _'Plus I can't even study with gorgeous looking at me with that cute face of his…'_

Nightwing did try to help her study, but Raven would always cut the lessons short with a kiss and taking him out to wherever either wanted to go. Raven knew that if she flunked, she'd deserve it, but she didn't want to. At that moment Nightwing entered the room, and all three girls looked at his handsome features. He waved a hand in greeting and asked Raven how it went.

"It went ok," she replied with a shrug.

"Good," replied the acrobat. "I'm glad all that studying paid off." With a wink at the purple-haired girl, he left the room and entered the kitchen.

Raven blushed. Maybe she'd require more "studying" with him, she thought with a small smirk.

* * *

 **finally done with this one! ;w; sorry it took me so long to finish it and sorry if this chapter is a bit shorter than you expected but hey at least we got what we wanted, no~? .w. Raven and Nightwing are finally dating~~ 3 3**

 **(tbh i had writer's block which is why i didn't finish this chapter sooner ;-;)**

 **I hope you liked this fanfic and don't worry~ it won't be my last DickRae fic~~ ^^ also, thank you all for the kind reviews :'D**

 _ **~Humbert**_

 **ps. I'm gonna take summer classes in college *cries forever* so I won't be as active as usual for the next month and a half ;-;**


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